Ally Kraus
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allykraus.bsky.social
Ally Kraus
@allykraus.bsky.social
29 followers 15 following 28 posts
Fiber artist, educator, and founder of @microfiberschool.com
My goal in life is to acquire all skills
https://www.allykraus.com
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allykraus.bsky.social
I’ll be in my studio aka the @microfiberschool.com this Saturday 8/9 from noon-3pm for the Alameda Artworks Second Saturdays event in San Jose.

It will be a small event this month, but I’ll be there and would love to see you. Drop in and visit!

#sanjose #weaving #openstudio
Second Saturdays Open Studio; Saturday August 9th from noon-3pm; 1068 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126 Text is overlayed on collaged paper painted in purple and green and arranged in zigzags
August 5, 2025 at 3:49 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
A painted warp study in 4 colors 🕸️

#weaving #paintedwarp #fiberart #textileart
A finished woven cloth with a circle painted on the warp threads. The four colors are each on a different set of warp threads and the circles are slightly offset, creating a blurry edge.
August 3, 2025 at 3:53 AM
allykraus.bsky.social
It’s the last week+ to create work for the 50|50 show at Sanchez Art Center. What started as an exploration in #tessellations has become a Rorschach game. How many different interpretations can you see as you focus on different shapes or switch between figure/ground?

#mixedmedia #collageart
A close up of a wall of 12 different, color tessellated collages.
August 1, 2025 at 9:37 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
Earlier this month, I joined several other artists to speak about my work at the 55th Annual Textile Exhibition at Olive Hyde Gallery in Fremont. See the show before it closes on 8/2!

#olivehydeartgallery #textileart #fiberart
Ally Kraus speaking in front of three small textile compositions made of rust and natural dyes. 📷: Mel Beach Denise Oyama Miller speaking about her piece "Tattered" in front of a room full of people.
July 31, 2025 at 3:05 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
We’re past the halfway point for the 50|50 show and here's a recent fave. I’ve been thinking a lot about negative space and spontaneous shapes, drawing inspiration from an architecture textbook, and finding similarities in nature. Shown in front of our 10' sunflower plants!

#tessellations #collage
A collaged tessellation. Overlapping green circles and blue squares on a light orange background, shown in front of leaves with overlapping light and shadow.
July 20, 2025 at 3:58 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
A painted warp study 🕸️

#weaving #fiberart
Two interlocking triangles, one painted on 3/4 warp threads in red, the other on 1/4 warp threads in black.
July 13, 2025 at 3:48 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
I was juried into the Sanchez Art Center’s 50|50 show for the second year in a row! This time, I’m making 50 tessellations using collage, paint, and paper. It's fun to be working on something in another medium with a direct application to textiles.

#tessellations #collage #sanchezartcenter
A collage using painted paper in green, yellow, and purple, held in front of a purple and white flowered bush.
July 11, 2025 at 3:17 AM
allykraus.bsky.social
I kind of love this one.

Cloth that was painted, unwoven, and rewoven with mirrored weft.

#weaving #fiberart
A weaving in progress. Triangles are painted on the cloth and warp in blue.
July 8, 2025 at 3:44 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
I was invited to demo my weaving and dyeing techniques at the Fremont Art Association's June Zoom meeting. Wednesday 7/2 from 1-3pm PT. Free and open to the public! Register here: www.fremontartassociation.org

#weaving #dyeing #fiberart #textileart
A woven cloth is laid on a table covered with plastic sheeting. It's connected to a table loom named "Marigold" on one slide. There are stencils with geometric shapes placed on top and small jars of paint are scattered on the table.
June 28, 2025 at 10:39 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
Unweaving in progress 🧶🕸️

#weaving #unweaving #sanjoseartist #textileart #textileartist #weaversofinstagram #modernweaving
June 16, 2025 at 4:17 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
Tessellations, texture, paint, and collage. Experiments for a new project!

#tessellation #surfacedesign #sanjoseartist #sanjoseart
A collage made from painted paper that has been cut into shapes and tessellated into a pattern reminiscent of birds on vines. A collage made from painted paper that has been cut into shapes and tessellated into a pattern made of triangles and diamonds that are purple, yellow, and red. A collage made from painted paper that has been cut into shapes and tessellated into a pattern with vertical symmetry. A collage made from painted paper that has been cut into shapes and tessellated into a pattern of squares and diamond-esque shapes on an orange background.
June 9, 2025 at 2:32 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
I cast the top from Inception (my favorite movie) in pewter at Maker Nexus! It’s a little wobbly, but still spins. 💞

Look forward to more of this in the future… I signed up for a metal casting class at West Valley College this fall. Metal + Textiles = ???

#makernexus #sandcasting #pewter
June 3, 2025 at 3:02 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who visited during Open Studios earlier this month. And a special thanks to Marie Cameron who took the photos of me! I’m an introvert, but I’m also a fiber nerd and love talking textiles. You can see my enthusiasm in my hand gestures. 😂

#textileart #fiberart #weaving #ikat
Ally standing talking to several visitors in her studio. There are two ikat wall hangings and a painted warp top hanging on the wall. Ally talking to a visitor about a card with a weaving on it. Naturally-dyed textile compositions hang on the wall behind them. Ally gesturing in front of a table and wall covered with weavings and other textile art. Several signs describing upcoming classes hang on the wall in front of a table with a loom, sewing machine, and samples.
May 30, 2025 at 11:12 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
I’m participating in Silicon Valley Open Studios this year on May 17-18 from 11am-5pm. Visit me and OVER 30 ARTISTS at @thealamedaartworks.bsky.social. See my work, learn about my process, and chat about my upcoming workshops and events!

#svos #artshow #sanjose #textileart #weaving
A college of 6 textile art pieces with a Silicon Valley Open Studios Participating Artist logo overlaid. A list of 30 artists participating in SVOS at The Alameda Artworks, including Ally Kraus, Amy Brown, Anne Pegolotti, Ayelet Gal-On, Belinda Lima, Carmen Arjona-Ariza, Chieko Shimizu, Claire Whitehead, Dan Lythcott-Haims, Dara, Elise Burrows, Gloria Huet, Gretchen Sand, Kay Fontana, Kim Meuli Brown, John Harper, Lucy Ghelfi, Lucy Liew, Lynne Strom-Berg, Marc Casad, Margaret Luo, Michael Strom-Berg, Nancy Walters, Noreen Rubay, Renee Switkes, Sabrina Sanchez, Stephanie Metz, Sylvie Levesque, Taryn Curiel, Yolanda Guerra, Yuting Wang, and Zarine Mohadine.
May 4, 2025 at 3:12 AM
allykraus.bsky.social
One of my favorite weaving-related finds 🤓
microfiberschool.com Micro Fiber School @microfiberschool.com · May 1
Can you imagine weaving being so common / ubiquitous that you could buy looms & tools at ikea?! An actual page from the 1982 Swedish IKEA catalog.

#ikea #ikeafinds #learntoweave #weaving
A page from a Swedish Ikea catalog in showing a floor loom, table loom, warping board, reeds, shuttles, and other tools.
May 1, 2025 at 6:47 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
My double ikat study will be on view at the Hidden Villa Sheep Shearing & Fiber Arts festival this Saturday, April 19th from 10am-3pm. Handwoven cotton, dyed with indigo & madder. Repurposed cotton strap as frame.

#weaving #ikat #doubleikat #kasuri
A handwoven double ikat piece in madder and indigo. A donut shape is superimposed on four diagonal squares.
April 15, 2025 at 1:19 AM
allykraus.bsky.social
I’m excited to announce that I’m the recipient of the 2025 Teach-It-Forward Grant from @handweaversguild.bsky.social. 🌟 It will fund two weaving scholarships for BIPOC students at @microfiberschool.com. Diversity is important. More details soon – stay tuned!

#learntoweave #microfiberschool #weaving
An image of a white female with short brown hair and glasses and three table looms. The text reads: "Teach-It-Forward 2025 Grant Recipient, Micro Fiber School, Ally Kraus" above a Handweavers Guild of America logo.
April 5, 2025 at 12:05 AM
allykraus.bsky.social
Plastic Bag, Floating (2023)
Weft ikat, linen, natural & synthetic dyes

One of my favorite pieces! I spent hours wrapping ~20 strings with plastic tape in order to weave the image of a plastic bag. The irony was not lost on me.

#kasuri #ikat #weaving
Handwoven weft ikat depicting a plastic bag floating in the wind. There are 5 images of bags in various states of rotation on a blue background. 28 yards of yarn with various sections wrapped with plastic tape, next to a printout of a plastic bag
March 31, 2025 at 4:32 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
The most amazing project! 🤩
whatemilyisdoing.bsky.social Emily @whatemilyisdoing.bsky.social · Mar 8
I made a quick little pouch out of my woven ant bands! I designed 8 pixel charts of different ant species for this project, sized so that each band would be the same length. I chose species with, in my opinion, some of the coolest morphology- especially love the big heads 🐜 #weaving #sewing #ants
A brown quilted zipper pouch with tan trim. The zipper is lined with two hand woven bands featuring images of 8 different ant species.
March 8, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Ally Kraus
microfiberschool.com
The Micro Fiber School will be open from 11am-2pm on Saturday, March 8th in conjunction with @thealamedaartworks.bsky.social's Second Saturdays event.

📍 See our small (but mighty!) space
🧑🏻‍🏫 Chat with Ally Kraus, founder of Micro Fiber School
🧵 Meet our little looms and learn about weaving
A triangle shaped picture of three table looms taken at an angle. The event's title, time, and date surround the image. In the top left corner is the address 1068 The Alameda, Studio A, San Jose, CA 95126
March 4, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Reposted by Ally Kraus
artworms.bsky.social
Two free events at my studio this weekend: 11am-12pm free Lucky Snake Workshop and 12pm-2pm Open studio, along with 6 other artists (including weaver @allykraus.bsky.social !)

At The Alameda Artworks, 1068 The Alameda in San Jose.
Yellow scrappy fabric snake on pink and orange stripe background. Text says Lucky Snake Workshop. Texas star pattern quilt square on red background. Text says Second Saturdays 11-2.
March 2, 2025 at 9:17 PM
allykraus.bsky.social
Hi, I'm Ally, a fiber artist and educator based in #SanJose. I weave on handlooms, piece and sew cloth, dye fabric and yarn, and sometimes grow my own dye plants.

Here is one of my favorite pieces: an ikat weaving dyed with madder root that I made on my Gilmore loom.

#weaver #sewist #naturaldyer
A white female with short curly brown hair and glasses stands next to an ikat weaving.
February 26, 2025 at 5:12 AM